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With dates filling up faster it seems than ever before, you might be looking at a Friday wedding if you want to have the wedding of your dreams in the next twelve months. It can be difficult to break from the tradition of a Saturday wedding but you have nothing to fear.
Generally, Friday weddings are easier to book than Saturdays, with more open dates and often discounts from vendors. Guests usually don’t mind a Friday wedding, especially if it’s set to start after work hours. The few negatives have to do with the shorter length of the wedding day and the time you or your guests may have to take off from work.
Let’s dive into the specifics. What are the pros and cons of having a wedding on a Friday?
Pro – There are more dates available to choose from
By considering a Friday wedding, you’re opening up additional dates on the calendar and doubling your options. If you’re looking to get married in the next few months, this may open up options for venues that were fully booked Saturdays for the next year or even year and a half. And you may be able to shorten your engagement and wedding planning timeline considerably.
Couples may find things extremely difficult in the next few years as the backlog of weddings delayed from 2020 and 2021 wedding seasons clears up. Being open to a Friday or other weekday for your wedding gives you more options to get married in a crowded year.
Pro – It might be cheaper to have a Friday wedding
Since Friday is a less popular option than Saturday, many venues have discounted pricing for getting married. This is a way for venues to make a little extra money throughout the year by incentivizing couples to consider alternative dates instead of just waiting 18 months for the next available Saturday. This is a great deal for venues since they are doubling or tripling (if you include Sundays) the days they can offer. And it’s a great deal for couples who can afford their dream venue at a discounted price and get married sooner.
Pro – You have more time to recover from the action before Monday
It’s nice to have a few days to recover from all the excitement, preparation and actual partying on your wedding day. If you don’t have an immediate honeymoon planned after your wedding, you can use the entire weekend to relax and recharge before you return to work on Monday. You can also plan other events throughout the weekend to see any family or friends in town after the wedding is over in a more casual setting. It’s a little easier to catch up with an old buddy over Saturday or Sunday brunch after your wedding than it would be before a wedding when you’re still frazzled.
Pro – A lot of guests won’t mind a Friday wedding
If you’re worried that your guests will think it’s tacky or won’t want to come to a Friday wedding because they have to request a day off from work, think again. We did a poll recently and asked over 100 people what they thought of weekday weddings. The response was overwhelmingly positive. 82% of people said they would attend a MONDAY wedding, and had positive things to say about a wedding on any other weekday.
To make it easier for guests to attend a Friday wedding, give them plenty of notice so they can take off from work, and plan a later ceremony and reception so those who can’t get the day off can still attend. Your closest friends and family will make the effort to come. And your wedding will be all the better for it with lots of guests who care about you in attendance.
If you’d like to know what else guests thought of weekday weddings and how to plan one to make it easier for guests to attend, check out our article on weekday weddings here.
Pro – Other vendors will be easier to book as well
Photographers, DJs, florists, you name it and they’ll likely have more availability on a Friday in a packed wedding season. They may also have discounted packages on Fridays.
Con – Your wedding day might be shorter
One con of getting married on a Friday is that your wedding might be more of an evening affair than an all day one. You should still take the entire day off to prepare for the ceremony and reception but your wedding party and family might not be joining you at 9 am for bagels, or hair and makeup if they have to work. Instead, you might end up condensing most of the activities into the afternoon and evening hours.
Not sure about the wedding timeline for a Friday wedding? Check out our article about how to create your wedding timeline for tips.
Con – Your wedding might run later into the night
Your wedding might also run later into the night on a Friday. While a Saturday wedding regularly ends at 10 pm with an unofficial afterparty that extends to 1 or 2 am for the partiers. A Friday wedding might not end until midnight. If you’re not a night owl, a Friday wedding that typically starts later might not be for you.
Con – Guests may be late or unable to attend because of work
Some guests no matter how much notice you give them might not be able to take a vacation day to attend your wedding. This isn’t usually your closest friends and family unless they have a job with inflexible schedules. You might have to deal with a few people sneaking in after you’ve said I do or declining altogether because of work. Try not to worry about it. The people who consider you close will make an effort to be there.
If you are able to plan your wedding to start a little later, like 6-7 o’clock, guests who can’t get off from work should be able to attend after their shift is over.
Con – Your wedding should be more local
If you were planning on having your wedding 1-2 hours away from your hometown or where most of your guests live, a Friday wedding complicates things a bit. It’s not that you CAN’T plan it this way but it will be more inconvenient for guests to have to drive 1-2 hours away, especially if they worked that day. On a Saturday this is a little less of an issue because guests have the entire day on Saturday to prepare and make the drive in the morning. You’ve now made it a mandatory to take off work for your wedding day and some guests simply won’t be able to make it.
Con – You have to take more days off from work
For a Saturday wedding, you could easily get away with saving all of your days off for your honeymoon or not taking any days off at all. A lot of couples still take the Friday before the wedding off to prepare and spend time with family. For a Friday wedding, you will most certainly need to take the day off to get ready. And you may want to take Thursday off as well for any last minute planning. If your job is less flexible about time off, you might not want to take the 1-2 days off to have a Friday wedding.
Con – Other vendors may not work on Fridays
While most vendors have plenty of Fridays open, you might find with certain vendors that they don’t work Fridays at all. This is common if their wedding business is a side gig that they do on Saturdays. For example a part time DJ you had your eye on might only work Saturday weddings because he or she has another job during the week.
Now that you know all of the pros and cons of having your wedding on a Friday, are you considering it? Share your thoughts in our free, exclusive Facebook group Bold on a Budget Weddings.
